FC Tucson continued its unbeaten run in the Premier Development League to open the season, but the team wasn’t in the mood to celebrate after tying BYU 0-0 on Saturday night at the Kino North Stadium.
“Today was a tough day, they came prepared to battle,” said FC Tucson forward Pedro Espindola. “We were almost scoring all the time, and it was tough for us. But we’re still undefeated, that’s what matters.”
FC Tucson is now 1-1-2 overall and 1-0-2 in PDL play. BYU (0-3-1, 0-2-1) picked up its first point of the season by getting the tie.
“They put really hard work in today and were really physical, but I guess we matched it because we dominated the game,” said FC Tucson midfielder Luis Martinez. “I guess the only thing we missed was the goal.”
FC Tucson’s best chance came in the first half when midfielder Felipe da Silva almost scored off of a rebound in the 6-yard box in the 20th minute, only to see it blocked.
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“Whether it was in or not, we couldn’t tell,” said FC Tucson head coach Rick Schantz.
In the second half, FC Tucson came close to scoring when Espindola’s cross in the 56th minute got blocked.
“The second half, I thought the effort was really there,” Schantz said. “The keeper made some great saves, and sometimes that’s just the way it goes.”
In the 63rd, FC Tucson forward David Clemens missed barely over the crossbar from just inside the penalty box.
In the 71st minute, Martinez came close to scoring on a free kick from about 25 yards out. Then about a minute later, defender Austin Ledbetter forced a diving save from BYU goalkeeper Brenden Ottman.
“We worked hard and had most of the possession and most of the opportunities, but their team was so far back, it was kind of hard to get in,” Martinez said.
At halftime, Keegan Rogers replaced starter Dallas Jaye at goalkeeper.
Schantz said he made the switch to give Rogers some experience, as Jaye leaves in a couple weeks for World Cup qualifiers for Guam.
“I know Keegan can perform and both of them have done a good job,” Schantz said.
FC Tucson’s only loss of the season was in a US Open Cup match. It was in first place in its division going into Saturday’s contest.
“It’s our house — no one comes in here and beats us,” Martinez said.
Up next for FC Tucson is a home match against the Las Vegas Mobsters on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
FC Tucson earlier tied Las Vegas 2-2 on the road to open the season.
